Harvey Weinstein was misquoted in a published article claiming the disgraced movie mogul had admitted offering acting jobs to actresses in exchange for sex, Weinstein’s attorney Ben Brafman said Friday.

[[tmz:video id=”0_t326hzd3″]] Michael Cohen’s getting it from both sides as New Yorkers give him an earful over potentially flipping on President Trump. We got Trump’s former personal attorney in NYC Monday, and asked him if he was preparing to…

President Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen’s seen about 120 too many TV appearances by Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti… so he’s begging a judge to make him stop talking. Cohen filed for a restraining order Thursday because he says Avenatti is…

6:35 PM PT — A spokesperson for BuzzFeed News tells us the dossier is “the subject of active investigations by Congress and intelligence agencies” and is obviously of public interest. The rep says, “This is not the first time Trump’s personal lawyer has…

New York prosecutors looking into Paz de la Huerta’s rape allegation against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein appear to have hit a wall despite receiving ample evidence to bring before a grand jury, the actress’s attorney said Thursday.

Meek Mill‘s recent probation violation case that landed the Philadelphia star two to four years in jail this week has taken a new turn. According to Meek’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, that the judge in the case, Genece Brinkley, has some manner of weird obsession with the MMGrapper and allegedly asked him to drop his management contract with Roc Nation to join the camp of the judge’s associate.

Tacopina: It was an enormously grave mischaracter of justice. A really despicable version of what the justice system is supposed to be. There’s three people in the court room besides the defendant: The prosecutors, the district attorney — who’s in charge of enforcing laws and handing out punishments — [and] the probation officer who’s in charge with enforcing people who are on probation making sure that they apply with the law and when they don’t, recommending punishment.

Then, there’s a judge that’s supposed to be a fair, neutral arbitrator and oversee. Both the probation officer and the district attorney recommended no incarceration for these violations. No incarceration. But this judge excoriated both of them, challenged their credibility and overrode both law enforcement agencies recommendations and went from zero to two to four years, which shows that she clearly had a personal vendetta against this guy [Mill].

But when you look at all the other facts, like a judge crossing the line of professionalism and traditional conduct, [who] will make the request that Meek Mill re-record a famous Philadelphia pop band, Boyz II Men’s song “On Bended Knee,” where he concludes with a tribute to her and mentions her by name in the song. And he, of course, was laughing and thought it was a joke, she said, “I’m serious.” He refused to do that.

So, that, right there, was a totally an inappropriate request. When she requests he leaves his current management Roc Nation — which is one of the most important management companies in the world — and goes back to a local Philadelphia guy who has a spotted past because she had a personal relationship with him as manager, again, she’s doing something that a judge would never be doing, having a personal interest.

If true, could this help lessen the sentence levied upon Meek Mill, especially since prosecution in the case didn’t intend to pursue the matter with this manner of ferocity?

Lisa Bloom — who said she resigned from representing Harvey Weinstein after learning of his sexual misdeeds — was deeply involved in investigating various female accusers to discredit them … sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ. We’ve learned…

[[tmz:video id=”0_9kc9jx9o”]] Venus Williams accelerated from 0 to almost 20 MPH in about 4 seconds as she pulled through the intersection where she had a fatal accident … according to the attorney for the victims’ family. Michael Steinger, who…

Douglas Hand has one rule when it comes to his wardrobe: always dress better than your client. “If they engage me, I’m going to charge them a lot of money. It’s about respect for them. What we do requires a great amount of detail and meticulousness and I don’t think that’s communicated well in casual clothing.”
So the bar is set pretty high when your clients include Rag & Bone, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Phillip Lim.
Hand, a fashion-industry attorney and cofounder of Hand Baldachin & Amburgey LLP, is always impeccably put together, mostly in a suit. In fact, his sartorial choices are so spot-on that the American Bar Association tapped him to write a book entitled, “The Laws of Style for the Professional Gentleman,” which will be published in November.
WWD: Tell me a little bit about your background.
Douglas Hand: I was born in Los Angeles and raised in Laguna Beach, Calif., but really fell in love with New York during my time at NYU law school and business school. I started at a big multinational law firm called Shearman & Sterling with more than 1,000 lawyers. I practiced in their New York office and for a year

Stevie Wonder’s dead attorney and right-hand man for decades duped him into signing a contract he never saw … a contract that makes the singer pay the lawyer’s family indefinitely and forever … so claims Stevie. Stevie just filed legal docs,…

So you’ve decided to get a divorce, and you now have to daunting task of actually telling people…

Or maybe you’ve been going through a divorce, and have learned a few hard lessons about what not to say about it to your friends, family, kids…

From the moment you tell the first person, the world becomes a bit of a minefield, for reasons personal and legal, when it comes to talking about your divorce during your divorce.

Here’s a list of what to say — and what NOT to say — while you’re getting divorced. This is the same advice I give my clients, taking into account how what you say out of court can affect what happens in court.

Have a Plan. This is my life, and I live each and every day by this maxim, because it’s the key to successful divorces. Know what you’re going to do. Write it down. Put it on a timeline. Check things off as you go. In this case, the plan is about deciding who to talk to and how you’re going to do it. Seriously — don’t be too proud to write this stuff down.

Decide Who You’re Going to Tell & In What Order. It’s important that your family doesn’t know you’ve filed for divorce before your spouse, or that your kids don’t find out from a neighbor. Starting with the people who will be most affected, plan who to tell and what language you’ll use (it obviously won’t be the same with everyone you tell).

Don’t feel the need to tell everyone, either. Stick to the people who are directly affected, and the people whose support you’re going to be calling on during the divorce.

Choose a Headline. The obvious one — “We’re getting divorced” — isn’t going to be enough for the people who are close to the fray, like your family and close friends. They’ll want to know more, and having invested in your marriage in various ways themselves, you might feel they deserve that. Decide exactly what you’re ready to say about a) your reasons for splitting, and b) what the future will hold. Use calm rather than emotional language.

Focus On the Positive. Within Reason. Let’s face it, this isn’t a positive situation. But if you can take a positive — or even a neutral — tone regarding what you try to say about it, you’re likely to avoid ending up in an accidental rant, or bursting into tears in public. Not that this won’t happen anyway, it probably will. But having a positive message, however forced it might seem, will actually help you feel more in control, and be more in control. Eventually you’ll probably find that that positive message is something you sincerely feel.

Stay On Message. A PR classic, it’s important to have your neutral or positive take on things in mind, and memorized, so that you will be able to remind yourself of what to say when people ask, which they will. This helps you keep from being goaded into talking about things you’re not ready to, to have conversations with your spouse that are counterproductive, or to have a meltdown in the grocery store (see #4). Know your message and stick to it.

Be Ready For Backlash. Some people love hearing about divorce, because it feeds the rumor mill, and they’ll (subtly) grill you for details that they’ll then go repeating. This is inevitable, and you just have to be prepared to ignore it. Other people hate hearing about divorce because it means their marriage, too, is potentially fallible. They’ll be full of disapproval. Again, just ignore it. Or, have a response on-hand for when people are less than supportive, something that puts up a boundary without causing a confrontation, like “Well, we’re really trying to keep this as a family matter, but thank you for asking” or “I appreciate your input” followed by a quick change of subject.

Don’t Post Anything on Social Media. Anything you post on social media is effectively public, and can be used against you in court. Keep your privacy settings at maximum levels during your divorce, and you should refrain from mentioning anything related to your divorce at all — even rants, or rather, especially rants. (That’s what your divorce lawyer and therapist are for.) Here’s a useful infographic about what not to do on social media during your divorce.

Verbal, Not Written. On that note, be aware that anything you put in writing — like a private message on social media or an email — could end up out in the public domain. In divorce proceedings, sometimes these things unfortunately come up. If it’s not something you’re okay with the judge reading, don’t put it in writing.

Don’t Talk About Your Divorce at Work. The exception here is if you have colleagues that you’re very close to, as in best friends. Otherwise, you’ll be wise to try to keep your divorce out of the workplace. On one hand, it can come across as unprofessional or airing your personal business in public; people have surprising attitudes about divorce sometimes.

On the other, talking about it could easily make you become angry or upset at work, which is unprofessional. There’s also the fact that if you let everyone know what’s happening in your personal life, it might affect how they interpret your professional work, regardless of whether it’s affecting your work or not. To be on the safe side, you’re better off keeping it relatively quiet until the divorce is final.

Keep the Kids Out of It. When you’re talking to friends and family, be careful who might be listening (ie. your kids–I was amazing at listening through air vents as a kid). Be especially careful when speaking about your kids directly, for example what might happen to them regarding custody; this could get back to your kids and cause a lot of anxiety.

In an age-appropriate way, discuss issues that affect your kids with them directly, and make an agreement with your spouse not to say anything negative about each other or go into details about divorce proceedings while they’re around. It’s just unnecessary negativity and pain that they don’t deserve.

Respectfully, James J. Sexton

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

So you’ve decided to get a divorce, and you now have to daunting task of actually telling people…

Or maybe you’ve been going through a divorce, and have learned a few hard lessons about what not to say about it to your friends, family, kids…

From the moment you tell the first person, the world becomes a bit of a minefield, for reasons personal and legal, when it comes to talking about your divorce during your divorce.

Here’s a list of what to say — and what NOT to say — while you’re getting divorced. This is the same advice I give my clients, taking into account how what you say out of court can affect what happens in court.

Have a Plan. This is my life, and I live each and every day by this maxim, because it’s the key to successful divorces. Know what you’re going to do. Write it down. Put it on a timeline. Check things off as you go. In this case, the plan is about deciding who to talk to and how you’re going to do it. Seriously — don’t be too proud to write this stuff down.

Decide Who You’re Going to Tell & In What Order. It’s important that your family doesn’t know you’ve filed for divorce before your spouse, or that your kids don’t find out from a neighbor. Starting with the people who will be most affected, plan who to tell and what language you’ll use (it obviously won’t be the same with everyone you tell).

Don’t feel the need to tell everyone, either. Stick to the people who are directly affected, and the people whose support you’re going to be calling on during the divorce.

Choose a Headline. The obvious one — “We’re getting divorced” — isn’t going to be enough for the people who are close to the fray, like your family and close friends. They’ll want to know more, and having invested in your marriage in various ways themselves, you might feel they deserve that. Decide exactly what you’re ready to say about a) your reasons for splitting, and b) what the future will hold. Use calm rather than emotional language.

Focus On the Positive. Within Reason. Let’s face it, this isn’t a positive situation. But if you can take a positive — or even a neutral — tone regarding what you try to say about it, you’re likely to avoid ending up in an accidental rant, or bursting into tears in public. Not that this won’t happen anyway, it probably will. But having a positive message, however forced it might seem, will actually help you feel more in control, and be more in control. Eventually you’ll probably find that that positive message is something you sincerely feel.

Stay On Message. A PR classic, it’s important to have your neutral or positive take on things in mind, and memorized, so that you will be able to remind yourself of what to say when people ask, which they will. This helps you keep from being goaded into talking about things you’re not ready to, to have conversations with your spouse that are counterproductive, or to have a meltdown in the grocery store (see #4). Know your message and stick to it.

Be Ready For Backlash. Some people love hearing about divorce, because it feeds the rumor mill, and they’ll (subtly) grill you for details that they’ll then go repeating. This is inevitable, and you just have to be prepared to ignore it. Other people hate hearing about divorce because it means their marriage, too, is potentially fallible. They’ll be full of disapproval. Again, just ignore it. Or, have a response on-hand for when people are less than supportive, something that puts up a boundary without causing a confrontation, like “Well, we’re really trying to keep this as a family matter, but thank you for asking” or “I appreciate your input” followed by a quick change of subject.

Don’t Post Anything on Social Media. Anything you post on social media is effectively public, and can be used against you in court. Keep your privacy settings at maximum levels during your divorce, and you should refrain from mentioning anything related to your divorce at all — even rants, or rather, especially rants. (That’s what your divorce lawyer and therapist are for.) Here’s a useful infographic about what not to do on social media during your divorce.

Verbal, Not Written. On that note, be aware that anything you put in writing — like a private message on social media or an email — could end up out in the public domain. In divorce proceedings, sometimes these things unfortunately come up. If it’s not something you’re okay with the judge reading, don’t put it in writing.

Don’t Talk About Your Divorce at Work. The exception here is if you have colleagues that you’re very close to, as in best friends. Otherwise, you’ll be wise to try to keep your divorce out of the workplace. On one hand, it can come across as unprofessional or airing your personal business in public; people have surprising attitudes about divorce sometimes.

On the other, talking about it could easily make you become angry or upset at work, which is unprofessional. There’s also the fact that if you let everyone know what’s happening in your personal life, it might affect how they interpret your professional work, regardless of whether it’s affecting your work or not. To be on the safe side, you’re better off keeping it relatively quiet until the divorce is final.

Keep the Kids Out of It. When you’re talking to friends and family, be careful who might be listening (ie. your kids–I was amazing at listening through air vents as a kid). Be especially careful when speaking about your kids directly, for example what might happen to them regarding custody; this could get back to your kids and cause a lot of anxiety.

In an age-appropriate way, discuss issues that affect your kids with them directly, and make an agreement with your spouse not to say anything negative about each other or go into details about divorce proceedings while they’re around. It’s just unnecessary negativity and pain that they don’t deserve.

Respectfully, James J. Sexton

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The relationship you have with your lawyer is sacrosanct. When you retain a lawyer, whether for a divorce or another issue, the lawyer is ethically charged with holding what you say to him/her as confidential. That means your attorney cannot talk about your case in public or to third parties without your consent.

There are exceptions to this, but I’ll save that for another article.

Going through a divorce is a stressful time. It’s stressful for both you as the person getting divorced and for the attorney who is representing you. There’s a saying within legal circles that “criminal law deals with bad people at their best and family law deals with good people at their worst.” From my experience, I can’t argue with that.

Put yourself in your attorneys shoes. How would you handle yourself in your case? Odds are it is not an easy situation. And, unless you hired an attorney who just graduated law school, you’re not your attorney’s only client. I know you don’t want to hear that, but…it’s true.

Divorce attorneys work hard to achieve favorable and fair results for their clients. Good clients appreciate the effort, even if things don’t always work out the way they hoped. Many clients are never happy, win or lose, and are not afraid to let their attorney know it. After all, who wants to spend all that money and feel like they lost? I get it.

Here are five things your attorney really wants to tell you, but doesn’t because he wants to maintain the relationship and keep you as a client. You’re better off knowing this though because it will influence your relationship with your lawyer and the value he/she provides to you.

1. You call too often. It’s true…you do. If you get your legal bill at the end of the month and you are astonished at how high it is…the culprit often times is the number of phone calls made to your attorney. Most attorneys charge on an hourly basis, which is stated in your retainer agreement. Clients pay for an attorney’s time.

Your attorney is not your therapist, although I play one on t.v. I always tell clients I will talk to you as long as you want, but don’t be surprised when you get the bill. I understand the client’s need to vent and talk it out. It’s very important, but that’s more the job of a therapist. If you’re going to spend money, might as well do so to a qualified professional counselor.

Your attorney will contact you when he/she needs something from you. There are periods in every case where nothing is going on and there is down time. Your attorney should give you periodic updates on the status of things and it’s ok to check in yourself, but daily calls are unnecessary and only run up your bill.

Try to handle little disputes with your spouse on your own. Then, if you can’t resolve it, think about how bad it really is and whether it’s worth it to involve your attorney. Good attorneys will tell their clients that something is not worth the cost of their time to fight it. In the end, it’s the client’s decision, but again…don’t complain when you get a high bill.

2. You don’t help him help you. Remember, your attorney is YOUR advocate, even if you don’t always feel that’s the case. However, he is not a mind reader. Your attorney can only work with what you tell him and what documents you give him to back up what you tell him. He cannot make it rain when the sun is out if you know what I mean.

My best clients are the ones who come to me prepared. I mean, they come to a meeting with a binder, organized with tabs for bank accounts, retirement accounts, credit card statements and any other documents I ask for or they think I will need. This cuts down the time I need to go through them and find what I’m looking for…which in turn lowers their bill!

Other times, clients just don’t listen to what their attorney tells them to do. Remember, an attorney charges for their time. The more time you make them spend on your case, or repeating themselves to you, the higher your bill will be.

Help your attorney help you!

3. You don’t listen to his advice when he gives it, so what’s the point? I had a case that involved a high conflict custody dispute. I told my client how to handle a certain situation when it came up and what happens? I get a call from this client to find out they did the exact opposite of what I told them and now they were in a pickle and expected me to get them out of it. I felt bad, BUT, if they had listened to me they wouldn’t be in this situation.

Attorneys expect clients to listen to them. That’s why they are there. If you as a client didn’t want to listen to your attorney, why did you hire them to begin with?

4. He can’t continue to represent you because you are not paying his bills. Attorneys are not free. They get paid for provide you with their time, knowledge and services. Now, it’s often the case in a divorce that money is tight and most attorneys are sensitive to this, but they have to pay their bills too and can’t work for free.

You can’t expect them to work for free. You don’t walk into a store and expect to take what you want and not pay, right?

You have to communicate with your attorney on a regular basis and if money becomes an issue, have that discussion. But, don’t ask your attorney to rush and file an emergency application because your ex is threatening not to give you the children on your weekend if you haven’t been paying your legal bill.

5. You chose to have children and now you have to parent them, either with your ex or alone. If I had to bet, I would say that one of the reasons you are getting divorced, or already divorced is because of conflicts with your spouse over parenting. It’s very common and one of the more stressful phases of a divorce. There is no way of getting around it though…you have to co-parent effectively with your ex, or you will be knee deep in court battles and conflict for years to come.

Your attorney is there to help you learn how to co-parent well. It is a learned skill set. You have to learn to accept and work with your spouse’s different parenting style. You won’t agree with everything they do, but unless it amounts to neglect or abuse, you will have no choice. This is the bed you made by choosing to have children with this person and now you have to learn to co-parent with them in a post divorce world.

I hope this wasn’t too harsh. Remember, your attorney is on YOUR side. A divorce is a roller coaster ride with its share of ups and downs. You are a team and you need to work together to get the best results for your case. Jason Levoy, a/k/a The Divorce Resource Guy, is an attorney who teaches people without a lawyer how to navigate the divorce process and represent themselves in court. He regularly provides free advice via his blog, VIP newsletter and Private Divorce Facebook Group.

More from HuffPost:

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

One of the conservative right’s favorite arguments against legalized same-sex marriage nationwide is that it’s a slippery slope that could lead to polygamy — and if you’re Justice Anthony Scalia or Ben Carson, it could even lead to beastiality. Others argue that drawing a connection between gay marriage and plural marriage is both an irrelevant and unfounded argument. However, one attorney argued on HuffPost Live on earlier this week that polygamy could have legal precedent.

Andy Izenson, an attorney with Diana Adams Law and Mediation who also identifies as polyamorous, explained to host Nancy Redd that the same legal reasoning to protect same-sex marriage under the 14th Amendment “could plausibly” be extended to protect group marriages, presuming it’s consensual.

“The idea that a three-person or four-person union between consenting adults is not fundamentally different from a two-person union between consenting adults is absolutely legit,” Izenson said.

But she added that the conservative “slippery slope” rhetoric that somehow leads to “beastiality and then people marrying their toasters” is baseless because it negates the need for consent. Izenson said Scalia invokes these presumptions as a means of scaring people because he’s perturbed by the country’s current socio-political climate.

“He’s just trying to scare people. It’s not actually a thing to be concerned about. It discounts the fact that as individuals, and as a society, we actually have the capacity to make rational reasoned choices about what we do,” she said, later adding, “But as long as you’ve got a consensual union between adults who know what they’re doing, then I think the logic is sound.”

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday appointed transgender attorney Shannon Price Minter to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.

Minter, who is the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, has been lead counsel in a number of legal wins for the LGBT community. He gained national attention in 2001 when he represented the lesbian partner of Diane Whipple in a wrongful death case stemming from a dog mauling. That case resulted in a landmark decision in California that extended tort claims to same-sex domestic partners.

Minter was also the lead attorney arguing before the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8, a state ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 let a lower court decision go into effect that struck down the ban.

“I am confident that these experienced and hardworking individuals will help us tackle the important challenges facing America, and I am grateful for their service,” Obama said in a statement, of Minter and a handful of other new nominees. “I look forward to working with them.”

The Commission on White House Fellowships interviews and then recommends people to the president for appointment as White House Fellows, who typically spend a year as full-time, paid assistants to senior White House staff.

Minter is one of a number of transgender appointees in the Obama administration. Others include Amanda Simpson and Shawn Skelly at the Defense Department and Jay Davis at the Environmental Protection Agency.

“I am deeply honored to serve on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, which provides a unique opportunity for new leaders to gain a firsthand experience of our nation’s government,” Minter said in a statement. “As a transgender man, I am especially grateful to President Obama for his commitment to building a government that reflects the full diversity of our country and for supporting equal opportunity for all people.”

The story has been updated with a statement from Shannon Price Minter.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

1. Do Your Research: Before you decide on a divorce attorney, conduct your own research on who you might want to hire. Conduct an online search and see if any articles or reviews have been posted about the attorney or law firm. One important resource will be your state bar’s website. On the state bar website, you can see if the attorney is officially licensed in your state and if there are any disciplinary actions against the attorney. Take your research outside of the Web and ask friends or extended family for a referral. Word of mouth is a great resource. By chatting with others in your community, you will get a better sense of the attorney’s reputation in the community.

2. Ask Questions: Before you sign an engagement letter to hire your divorce attorney, don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. How does the attorney bill for his or her work? What is the attorney’s hourly billing rate? Will the attorney take a retainer or are fees based on contingency? Does the attorney have assistants and paralegals? If so, will they be doing a significant portion of the work on your case? What are the hourly billing rates for assistants and paralegals working on your case? These questions are important because it will help you determine if you can afford the attorney’s services going forward. Divorce is a long and expensive process. The initial retainer fee will only get you so far and often, you can expect to pay additional fees and costs going forward. An initial meeting with the attorney is also important because you can see if you and the attorney are on the same page and whether your personalities gel together. This will be a long working relationship so it’s important that you and your attorney work well together.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Make Decisions: If you’ve hired an attorney and come to find you are not happy with the relationship, do not be afraid to change counsel and find an attorney right for you. While you don’t want to get into the habit of switching attorneys on a frequent basis, it is not unreasonable to change your representation when there is a true breakdown in the relationship between you and your attorney. You may be hesitant to switch counsel after investing so much time and money, but remember you are likely to save more money in the long run with the right attorney and get the results you desire with the right partnership.

Finding the right divorce attorney is crucial. The right working relationship will determine the trajectory of your divorce, so make an informed decision before you navigate the legal landscape.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Earlier today (May 1), Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby took on one of the biggest tasks in announcing charges against the six officers involved in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Mosby, 35, was just elected to the high-profile post in November, and already has garnered quite a bit of attention in hours since her big media moment.

Mosby’s tough demeanor and plain-speak in addressing the throng of media and cameras in Baltimore this morning was a stark contrast in the constrained and perhaps fumbled statements of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. But because of Mosby’s relative short time on the job, there isn’t much known about the city’s leading prosecutor outside of Charm City.

Hip-Hop Wired helps to answer the question of who is Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby on the following pages.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is asking for permission to toss out the now-notorious Sodomite Suppression Act, an outrageous ballot proposition that calls for the execution of gays with “bullets to the head” as well as 10 years in prison and permanent expulsion from California for anyone who advocates gay rights to minors.

In a statement released Wednesday, she wrote:

As Attorney General of California, it is my sworn duty to uphold the California and United States Constitutions and to protect the rights of all Californians. This proposal not only threatens public safety, it is patently unconstitutional, utterly reprehensible, and has no place in a civil society. Today, I am filing an action for declaratory relief with the Court seeking judicial authorization for relief from the duty to prepare and issue the title and summary for the “Sodomite Suppression Act.” If the Court does not grant this relief, my office will be forced to issue a title and summary for a proposal that seeks to legalize discrimination and vigilantism.

Because the bill’s backer, attorney Matt McLaughlin, paid the $ 200 filing fee by the February deadline, Harris is bound by law to prepare a title and summary of the order so that he can begin circulating it to obtain the 365,000 valid signatures needed for it to appear on next year’s ballot.

Some say the incident has exposed a serious flaw in the legal system. Joe Mathews, a fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University, argued on California politics website Fox&Hounds that such instances attack the integrity of the ballot initiative process and that the attorney general should be allowed to invoke a “human rights exception.”

On Monday, activist Charlotte Laws shed more light on the absurdity that McLaughlin’s initiative would be circulated when she submitted the Intolerant Jackass Act to the state attorney general’s office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Her initiative, which she says she does not intend to circulate, would label the author of any ballot measures like McLaughlin’s an “intolerant jackass,” require them to attend at least three hours a month of sensitivity training for a year and demand they contribute $ 5,000 to an organization that supports gay rights.Gay Voices – The Huffington Post

ATLANTA (AP) — An attorney said Wednesday that it was his client who found Bobbi Kristina Brown face-down in a bathtub last week and called 911, not Brown’s partner.

Maxwell Lomas, 24, of Duluth, Georgia — not Nick Gordon — found Brown on Jan. 31 at a townhome in suburban Atlanta, said attorney Philip Holloway. Lomas and the 25-year-old Gordon were both listed in the police report as being at the home when investigators arrived.

“He immediately pulled her from the water and called 911 as well as alerting other people in the house,” Holloway said of Lomas. “He did whatever he could do to assist in resuscitative measures until first responders arrived.”

Previously, police in Roswell, Georgia, where the townhome is located, had said that Gordon and Lomas found the woman in the bathtub and that Lomas called 911 while Gordon performed CPR. Gordon has not spoken publicly since then.

Brown is the only daughter of singers Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, who was also found unresponsive in a bathtub on Feb. 11, 2012 and later died. Authorities found a dozen prescription drug bottles in her Beverly Hills Hotel suite and listed heart disease and cocaine use as contributors, but concluded that she accidentally drowned.

On Jan. 15, 2015, Lomas was arrested and charged with weapons offenses, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a prescription anxiety medication. Lomas pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Holloway, who said the arrest is unrelated to Brown being found in the bathtub.

“He remains in the Metropolitan Atlanta area and has been questioned by police as have many other people,” Holloway said. The attorney described Lomas as a close friend and frequent house guest of Brown’s.

Bobbi Kristina Brown has commented often about her marriage to Gordon, the orphaned young man she grew up with after Houston brought him into the family. But her father’s lawyer says they never wed.

“To correct earlier reports, Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick Gordon,” reads a statement released Tuesday by R&B singer Bobby Brown’s attorney, Christopher Brown.

Legal authority over Bobbi Kristina’s health care and money could become a critical issue for the fractious Houston-Brown family, which has said that Bobbi Kristina “is fighting for her life” in a hospital.

Whitney Houston never formally adopted Gordon, but raised the two teenagers together after divorcing Brown.

Bobbi Kristina became the sole inheritor of her mother’s estate when she died in 2012, and shortly thereafter, she and Gordon went public with their romantic relationship.

Then, on Jan. 9, 2014, Bobbi Kristina posted a photo on Twitter of the couple’s hands wearing wedding rings, with the caption “#HappilyMarried. So #InLove. If you didn’t get it the first time that is.”

And as recently as Dec. 25, she was still telling the world that Gordon is her husband:

“MerryChristmas!! :)(:Snuggling in a beautiful hotelroom with MYbeautiful husband @nickdgordon :)(:Life couldn’t be sweeter at the moment!”

Relations between Gordon and some other family members soured last year: He remains subject to a protective order barring him from being within 200 feet of Bobbi Kristina’s aunt, Patricia Houston.Entertainment – The Huffington Post
Entertainment News-Visit Adults Playland today for the hottest adult entertainment online!

2014 has been marked for me by an endeavor which I must admit has been far more fun than the actual practice of family law, blogging on Huffington Post. This putting people back together thing (four couples this year) is certainly not the world’s greatest business model, that’s for sure. I make a living when it all falls apart. The messier it is, the more money I make. The older I get though, I have found there needs to be some balance, some joy along with the sadness. Among my favorite articles are the ones about marriage and trying to find that often-elusive recipe for a successful relationship. These are gleaned from observations of 21 years of failed marriages, my own fairly tragic choices (although, in hindsight, perhaps blessings), and finally, a relationship that makes me believe there is actually someone (with a keen sense of humor) watching over me. I have enjoyed writing the 10 Ways to Stay the Hell out of My Office; The 12 Wedding Vows Your Divorce Attorney Would Write for You; and A Divorce Lawyer’s Advice Before You Say ‘I Do’, the most. Those articles are for the most part comprised of the small changes in perspective that can make your relationship look valuable again. Sometimes it is the really big, hard, unfixable problems that lead you into my office; but most of the time, it is a culmination of the little stuff that eats slowly away at the integrity of our relationships, including mine. So this year, I will continue the effort to save a few marriages, (including my own), and if they don’t work out, help people move on with peace. So here’s hoping I can make it past February with the following resolutions. You might notice none of these involve the gym or swearing off cookies.

1. I will love out loud.
I have an Uncle who just passed away this holiday season from a long illness. He was married to my Aunt so long I remember standing on my tiptoes to see them walk down the aisle. I thought they were a real prince and princess. Upon diagnosis, his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family and friends gathered together and spent time together. They traveled while he could. He was “loved out loud” every minute of every day until he passed. There is a blessing in being given the gift to say goodbye. In reality, no one guarantees us time on this earth. So this year I will “love out loud” to honor him and set an example for my children. I will not await tragedy or diagnosis. I will love out loud because my husband should know that even on our worst days, I love him more than he will ever know. I will let my parents know I am grateful for all they have sacrificed, and how they have shown me love. There are no words to express how much I love my friends and family, but I will seek with purpose to find them. When I can’t find the words, I will show it with my actions. I will say thank you, often, for big things and small ones. I will try not to ever assume that someone knows I love them as deeply as I do and realize that everyone needs to be “loved out loud”

Although this one was not number one in my informal “poll”, it is the one resolution that I am going to work on with a valiant effort. So look out, it is going to be a mushy year for some of you.

2. I will value time as precious.
I asked a few close friends what their New Year’s resolutions would be for their relationships in 2015, and the unequivocal winner was “more time”. So, make time, find time, do what you need to do, but if you want to stay the hell out of my office in 2015, time together is crucial. Where do we find it, I wondered? There is never enough of it to get it all done. What takes it from us? Reality TV, mindless searching on the Internet, work, laundry? Perhaps the best answer is simply saying yes to everyone but our partner. Always saying yes to clients, to carpools, to volunteering, leaves us less time for those we love.

When I was a younger lawyer, my boss had a client who demanded something be done for him immediately, and while my boss was out of the office on vacation with his children. His reply to this client’s phone call was simply “this time is not for sale,” and although in the moment, I did not fully understand the largeness of this statement, today, I try to remember it whenever the time begins to slip away from my children’s childhood into billable hours. I will try to remember to value Time above all else as the real gift to my husband and children. I will let the laundry pile up, a bit, and realize it will all get done… eventually.

3. I will be more present.
People used to leave work on Friday and go home to enjoy the weekend; now work is with us wherever we go. Set boundaries, no email checking after a certain hour, enjoy a lovely dinner without checking in on Facebook. Spend less time on the Internet (after catching up on all you need on Huffington Post, of course). Make time to be still with each other, listen to music that reminds you of summertime, hold hands, talk about your future. Listen, really listen with your heart to what people are saying. Respond to let them know they are heard. Enjoy the sound of little footsteps in your house; breathe in the smell of flowers, cut grass and babies. Realize this moment will never come again, and be in it, all in.

4. I will spend less money and save more.
Stuff will not make you happier, this I know for certain, as I have seen it play out many, many times over the past 21 years of being a lawyer. I know this, and yet I am as susceptible as the next person in falling into the trap of buying what I just don’t need. I spoil my kids. I buy them stuff they don’t need, and take from them the opportunity to learn and grow each time I just hand over something they could save and work for. I have had a job since I was 15 years old and everything good that I have, I have had to work for. I will stop trying to connect my success as a parent to providing more crap to my kids, thereby robbing them of the chance to learn life is hard — so you need to work hard to get what you need. I will not attempt to assuage my working mom guilt with stuff.

I will try to spend less, because it will make our lives easier, give us more time and make my husband less stressed. I will show him that I really mean it when I say as long as we have each other the rest of it is just stuff. I will save because I have children’s colleges, rainy days, and because someday soon I will be old; it happens to us all, if we are lucky.

5. I will give up the martyr act.
It is just not that attractive, and eventually leads to a meltdown or resentment. I will try to ask for what I need before I get completely overwhelmed. I love Christmas, I always have, it was always full of those perfect holidays’ memories. Even when my parents divorced, my mom always made sure it was special, and once a year I felt joy like no other time in my childhood. I admit I am Christmas season obsessed, and yes, I admit, I have left the tree up until it became a fire hazard in February. Over the holidays I realized two things: first, that I was running around unnecessarily like a crazy person, having a complete meltdown from the stress of it all because Christmas was not going to “be perfect” if I did not get the cards done, the cookies done, the house perfectly cleaned (which was just something short of utter failure as a wife and mother), and second, that I am married to someone I really don’t deserve, who is actually willing to help me carry on this particular Christmas obsession; I simply needed to ask. Doing it all myself and then complaining about it was not the Christmas present anyone wanted. So for 2015, less martyr, more mess.

6. I will be accountable for my own happiness.
I will try in 2015, to be accountable for my own happiness by remembering to be grateful for the amazing blessings I have and not focusing on what is missing. I will try not to complain about becoming older by remembering it is a privilege denied to too many others. I will try not to complain about work and recognize I am lucky to have a job. I will do what I can to choose happiness, even when it is not the easy choice. I will remember this life is full of more laughter than tears, unlimited beauty to behold and opportunity to love and be loved every day. Perspective is reality, and I will try to make 2015 the year I keep mine squarely in check.

The list could go on, but having never made it past February on any gym membership I have ever purchased, I am sticking to the ones essential to my soul, and off the record, I will try to drink a little less wine and a drink a few more green smoothies. May 2015 be the year you find love, keep love or let it go with grace and dignity.